Forever Watching
by WildWolfMoon
Summary: Orochimarus teeth bared in a silent snarl. “You never noticed me, because she was always in the way. Isn't that just how life goes, Pein?”
1. Chapter 1

"Orochimaru sama....." Kabuto hesitated by the doorway, peering into the darkened room. "What....are you doing, sir?"

"Leave, Kabuto. I want to be alone right now." Kabuto couldn't find the source of the voice in the gloom, straining his eyes as he looked.

"But, sir---"

"KABUTO. Go."

Kabuto stiffened, and whirled around, speed walking away from the room.

Orochimaru listened to the fading footsteps before his eyes fell back on the picture in his lap.

Red and black cloaks covered their bodies. A hyperactive blonde clinging to a bored red haired kid, a silver haired man fighting with a masked one, a plant man eating someone's leg.

The gold eyes fell on the man in the front row. Auburn hair, silver piercings, cocky smile. A blue haired woman clung to his arm, laughing.

"Always, Pein...." Orochimaru hissed, gripping the frame tightly. "Always, you picked _her_ over _me_." His hand was shaking as he spoke.

Silence fell for a moment.

"It's almost that time again." Orochimaru's voice was soft as he spoke. "It's almost the anniversary of the day I left Akatsuki."

He studied the picture again. "Do you know why I left, Pein?"

The picture made no reply.

"It was because I was so sick of seeing you with.....with _her_. I can't see what the hell you like about that woman!"

His teeth bared in a silent snarl. "You never noticed _me_, because she was always in the way. Isn't that just how life goes, Pein?"

He smiled briefly, leaning his head back until it was resting on the wall. "That's how it always goes. The people you want to have notice you never seem to do, and the people you wish you never met hang on you like ticks."

The snake man snorted. "I wish I could forget about Akatsuki. Those memories are annoying...." he paused for a moment, before whispering again. "And they're painful." Orochimaru fell silent again, lost in his thoughts.

"I don't want to forget," he said quietly. "But I do." Sighing, he dropped the picture, face down, to the floor and stood up, popping his neck as he did so.

"And every day, those memories cut deeper than a knife," Orochimaru whispered. "Even with new playthings...."

* * *

"Pein, honey.....why do you still hold onto that old picture?" Konan asked, trying to pry the old frame out of Pein's hands.

He shooed her away, eyes still on the picture. "Konan, it's from the beginning of Akatsuki. It's....special."

She snorted as she went back to the table, picking up one piece from her stack of paper. "Special, yeah right. You're not sentimental, you don't care about those things....so tell me the truth. Why are you keeping it?"

Pein didn't respond for a long moment. Finally, he sighed as he set the picture down on his desk. "Konan....someday, I'll tell you. But not today. I have to go get cost estimates for the bathroom repair from Kakuzu."

With that, he walked swiftly towards the door, leaving the forever silent, forever motionless faces from the old picture staring after him.

Golden, snake like eyes that Pein had always been drawn to followed him around the room, and `even as the other people, in the old photo, went back to their glassy eyed smiles, the snake's eyes were forever watchful.

And forever lonely.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** ~Jashin-chan's request for winning second place in the contest. SHe wanted PeinOro, I am writing PeinOro, and I am going to go slam my head into a tree.

this is going to have AT LEAST five parts, so....yeah.

AND THIS PROVES I CAN WRITE CRACK! Just very bad crack....


	2. Chapter 2

"Pein, Deidara blew up the toilet. Sasori's newest puppet destroyed the kitchen cabinet. Hidan's ritual stained the carpet, and Konan is...dealing with him," Kakuzu reeled off.

Pein sighed and rubbed at his temples. Dealing with these people.... "Anything else?" he asked wearily, not wanting anything more.

"Yes."

"Continue then," Pein said, leaning forward on the desk, interlocking his fingers, resting his chin on them.

"Confirmation status on the location for Orochimaru. Current base is twenty-three miles southeast of here, by the village hidden by the clouds."

Pein froze. "That close? Are you sure, Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu nodded. "Positive, sir. Ayame, our spy, is there as we speak."

Pein sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Status report on him. Attacks, battles, anything," he said, voice harsh.

Kakuzu gave him an odd look, but continued. "Recently fought with a missing nin from Suna. The nin is terminated. Seen trying to gather new Oto shinobi from Iwa and Yama."

Pein crinkled his nose, eyes still shut. "Kakuzu...."

"Yes, sir?"

"I'm sending you and Hidan to go on a scouting mission to Oto," Pein began. "Consider this S class mission."

Kakuzu bowed slightly. "Yes sir. Anything else?"

"Yes." Pein's eyes opened slowly, squinting in the harsh lighting that the feeble lamps provided.

"I shall be accompanying you on this mission."

* * *

"Lord Orochimaru..." Kabuto paused again, fiddling with his glasses nervously.

"What is it, Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked. His chair was facing away from the silver haired medic nin, shadows painting the creases in his face.

"Information on the Akatsuki and their movements, sir."

Orochimaru tensed, although Kabuto couldn't see it. "Relay it."

"Three spotted out by the edges of the cloud village."

"Descriptions."

"Silver hair, scythe, Jashinist pendant."

Orochimaru sighed. "Hidan...."

"Black hair, mask, green eyes..." Kabuto continued.

"Kakuzu."

"And orange hair, silver piercings, gray eyes."

Orochimaru said nothing, body tensed. The room seemed to grow colder as the golden eyes fixed themselves to the dark blue wall. _Can't be...._

Kabuto finished the sentence for him, voice barely above a whisper as the words dropped from his lips like poison.

"Last one of the three man cell...is Pein."

* * *

**Author's Comments:** And the suspense builds!

Seriously, I feel bad. I made you guys wait way too long for this shit....I'm such a bad person....


	3. Chapter 3

_I remember...._

_Times that I didn't hide at the mention of your name. Times when I could stare you in the eye, say exactly what I was thinking..._

_Times when we could argue...._

_Times when we could laugh..._

_Times when we could cry...._

_Did we ever use those times? I can't remember. I was the underling, the minion. And you were always with her._

_People grow old. Kakuzu doesn't. Sasori can't. Hidan hasn't aged a day since he was twenty. Me...I refuse death. I battle it everyday._

_What about you? Do you fear death?_

_Well, Pein?_

_How fitting your name is. Causing grief and despair everywhere you go. Pain is your second cloak._

* * *

"Sir?" Kabuto asked hesitantly.

"Double the watch," Orochimaru ordered, getting to his feet and reaching for his robe, completely ignoring Kabuto. "Send out the Sound Four. "

"But sir, Tayuya is still recovering from her last battle with---"

"Kabuto." Orochimaru stopped pacing, back to Kabuto as he stared at a wall. "I don't care. But they must not get inside the base."

Kabuto opened his mouth to say something more, but thought better of it, then turned and left the room.

* * *

_Yeah, I never noticed you._

_Humans are selfish. We don't care about what other people want. It's always about what we want, and when we will get it._

_I don't admit to be any different._

_I suppose I am the prime example of that. I was taken in by your best friend, and he taught me all I know._

_When you found that out, the look on your face was one of pure disgust. I thought you had cared for my teacher, but I was wrong..._

_Again._

_Humans are always in the wrong. That is why I strive to take over the world. I can correct mankind's mistakes then._

_And I will have never let you go._

* * *

"I will find Orochimaru."

Hidan and Kakuzu didn't question him as they speed towards the hideout. As ninjas began to pour over the walls, Kakuzu forced a path through him with his threads, allowing Pein access to climb over the wall and disappear from their sight.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** I'm going to bed now....


	4. Chapter 4

"What the fuck are we doing here?" Hidan asked through chattering teeth, wrapping his arms around his torso. The sky had opened up in rain, and everything was faded, gray, and completely soaked. Hidan's hair was splattered against his cheeks, Kakuzu's mask was dripping.

"We're waiting for Pein," Kakuzu replied shortly, staring unblinkingly at the fort up ahead. Bodies littered the ground around them, blood washed away by the unending rain. The grass was bent over, and the field was almost empty, except for the fort up ahead.

Hidan shifted from one foot to the other, pushing his dripping hair away from his sparkling lavender eyes. "But I wanna go fucking fight, dammit! It's not fair at Mr-Stick-Up-The-Ass Pein gets all the fun."

"Deal with it. He told us that he would deal with Orochimaru. He doesn't need our help right now."

"But it's fucking pouring out!" Hidan yelled, waving his arms. His sleeves, heavy with water, slide down his arms, revealing clammy, pale skin, streaked with rain. "If he's fine, let's just leave, dammit."

"No."

"And why in the seven hells not?" Hidan asked, his voice thin and high. "He doesn't need us, because he'll be fine, like you said! So why the fuck are we here?!"

"Because if re-enforcements arrive, we'll have to deal with them." Kakuzu's answer was short. The rain was affecting him too, as much as he would try to deny it.

"But Pein's fucking strong. He can handle anything." Hidan's head was hurting. Too much to think about, with too little information for it all to make sense.

"Well then. Then he's told us to wait because if he dies, someone'll have to tell the Akatsuki," Kakuzu said listlessly, even though his stomach churned at the thought.

"He's not going to die," Hidan scoffed, but it sounded like it was an excuse. A lie made of glass, which was soon going to shatter. "Pein's one of the best ninjas alive, for Jashin's sake."

"But he's fighting Orochimaru, and even I had trouble with him. We should not be surprised if he comes out injured, or worse."

Hidan didn't reply, and merely turned his own gaze back to the fort ahead, the logs and stone walls streaked with rain. Droplets on water hit Hidan's clammy cheeks, sliding down slowly, like he was already crying.

Or maybe the sky wanted him to. Maybe it, the sun, the clouds, knew what was going to happen and were already in mourning. Maybe it wasn't crying for what was about to happen, but for some other tragic event.

Or maybe it wasn't even crying. Maybe the sky didn't know what was happening, what had happened, what would happen.

Maybe it was simply raining.

Who knows if the sky can think and feel, after all?

* * *

His breathing was harsh as he dashed through the hallways, opening doors at random. Almost all of the rooms were completely empty; dimmed, with dust and cobwebs settling thickly.

In one room, however, a sword was hung on the wall directly across from the door. The auburn haired man hesitated a moment before entering the room slowly, taking the sword down and turning it over in his hands, pulling the blade out.

The sword was sharp, very thin and light. A dragon was engraved into the side of the blade, the hilt designed to be held with two hands. A tassel hung off the end. It was incredibly balanced, and Pein slashed the air with it, before nodding and sliding it back into the sheath.

He took a deep breath to steady himself as he stepped back out into the hall, sword in hand. He raked a hand through his unruly auburn hair, tangling his fingers in the untamed strands.

Pein knew as well as anyone, maybe better, that he might not live through this mission.

Because he was going to kill Orochimaru, then himself. Time to stop running, at long last.

* * *

Orochimaru examined his sword with narrowed eyes. He knew wasn't going to live to see the end of the day, better than anyone did.

The sword was a work of art; snakes twisted halfway up the blade, and it was long, four feet of glistening, sharpened steel. It caught the faint traces of light leaking in from the hallway easily, shining them back into Orochimaru's pale face.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

He would die, Pein would die....the whole world would go down in flames...but he sure didn't care, at least not right now.

Soft footsteps from behind him. Orochimaru tensed, before his face split in a sad smile. His eyes were unusually dull.

"About time you arrived, Pein."

"Greetings, Orochimaru."

A loud crack of thunder, the pattering of rain somewhere overhead. Soft footsteps, the hiss of a sword being drawn. The almost silent breathing, harsh, low, and fast.

Orochimaru drew another deep breath before turning around slowly.

_It's finally time...._

_

* * *

_**Author's Comment: **I'm SO SORRY, ONII-CHAN! It took so long to finish this....but my dad forgot to unblock dA today...so I finished something....


End file.
